Gareth Bale's return to Tottenham Hotspur from Real Madrid delayed

The club have been in discussions over the last few days to sign the 31-year-old, seven years after he left, and it appears all financial hurdles have been overcome.

Madrid are understood to be paying a large chunk of Bale's sizeable salary.

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has refused to answer questions about the move, while his club are also on the verge of signing Bale's Madrid team-mate Sergio Reguilon on a permanent transfer.

Left-back Reguilon, who was interesting Manchester United, is primed to make a £27.5million move on a five-year deal after Spurs swiftly concluded negotiations for his services.

There is thought to be a buy-back clause inserted into the deal by Madrid.

But it is Bale's return that will tug on the heartstrings of Spurs fans after a hugely-successful first stint at White Hart Lane.

The Cardiff-born player swapped the north London club for the Spanish capital for a then world-record fee in 2013, winning four Champions League titles during a medal-laden spell at the Bernabeu.

But Bale has found himself marginalised under coach Zinedine Zidane and spent the last two years struggling to get in the side.

His return to Tottenham is also timely for Mourinho after a dismal start to the campaign against Everton on Sunday, when they looked void of all creativity in a sluggish 1-0 loss.

They also needed two goals in the final 10 minutes to overcome Bulgarian outfit Lokomotiv Plovdiv in a Europa League qualifier, having gone a goal down with 19 minutes remaining.